I just had the rainsoft tech out for the second time in a week and I'm done with them.
My rainsoft has been cycling on and off. The tech is telling me the plates behind the timer are worn and they have no replacements so I'd have to be a new time at 500+.
Right now I'm plugging in the unit was a week for regeneration but this is unsat.
Would installing the fleck 5600 fix the problem? the unit was built in 1999
SGinhorseheads wrote:I just had the rainsoft tech out for the second time in a week and I'm done with them.
My rainsoft has been cycling on and off. The tech is telling me the plates behind the timer are worn and they have no replacements so I'd have to be a new time at 500+.
I can rebuild your timer plate for less than $500.
email me and I'll detail how that works.
If you decide to replace the valve, the Fleck 2510SE is much much better than the 5600.
HTH ~
Just found this forum, and it seems great. H2O, i have a question. I have well water, that is VERY hard. I currently have a Hague system, but think its fairly old. I go thru at least 4/ 40lbs bags a month with a family of 5, 3 teen kids. I have been told, the new softeners don't use nearly that much. I have been looking a used RainSoft, little over 2yrs, Gold Series I believe. The link below, is ad. Is this worth it? From reading on here, seems like many are down on Rainsoft. If so, any recommendations, with a "reasonable" cost? So many out there, not sure where to turn. Kenmore? They seem cheap and I have read good reviews.
Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
TonyOde wrote:Just found this forum, and it seems great. H2O, i have a question. I have well water, that is VERY hard.
160 lbs. of salt per month is insane!
Modern systems that are properly sized to meet
your needs may use that much salt in a year.
We need a little more information first...
How hard is your water in grains per gallon?
Do you have any iron in the water?
Yes, high in Iron. I'll have to check on the grains, I think i have a recent tag when tested. As I mentioned, we do have a family of 5, 4 of which are women who take long showers. But, as I mentioned, I thought that seemed to be quite a bit of salt.
If I can't find the grains per gallon, am I able to get test kits myself to test this or should I locate someone?
Thanks!!
TonyOde wrote:
If I can't find the grains per gallon, am I able to get test kits myself to test this or should I locate someone?
Thanks!!
Any H2O treatment company can test it for you. You want the raw water tested at the well.
You will need to know the amount of iron (in ppm) and what kind of iron you have - there are 4 kinds of iron.
I also need to know what the Ph is.
Instead of having to sit through a local water treatment dealer's spiel about how great his softener is and resist, or suffer through their high pressure sales tactics for a couple hours... when all you want is a water test! And possibly not have them give you the data, or correct data anyway... Culligan, Kinetico, Ecowater etc. salespeople do that a lot.
You can also rinse out an individual serving type juice or water bottle and its cap and take a sample by filling the bottle until it overflows and then cap it tight, then take it to a lab. You find water testing labs under the heading Labs, Water Analysis or Water Testing in your yellow pages. Careful, labs love selling many more water tests, for things rarely if ever found in well water, than most people need, and they are pricey.
Or go to a plumbing or pump supply house and get a container and return the sample to them. They usually do the standard tests plus Coliform bacteria for about $20.00 and issue a report.
Also Sears does basic tests free of charge but without the bacteria test. They use the same chemicals and reagents Culligan and all the others do...
Or buy your own test kit and do the test yourself at home.
Gary Slusser wrote:Instead of having to sit through a local water treatment dealer's spiel about how great his softener is and resist, or suffer through their high pressure sales tactics for a couple hours... when all you want is a water test! And possibly not have them give you the data, or correct data anyway... Culligan, Kinetico, Ecowater etc. salespeople do that a lot.
The consumer can learn much from an in home H2O test.
When you invite someone into your home they play by your rules.
Make sure they understand your priority is a water test and learning more about their product is secondary.
This is far better than dealing with a faceless online seller that could care less about your needs.
Ok, I found a tag above my softener. Its a few years old, and I assume these readings were taken after softener was serviced....but maybe not.
Hard - 30
Iron - 4.6
PH - 7+
Water Softener, replace or upgrade
I like the answers from the pro's, thanks!
I have a hardness of 546 mg/L (as CaCO3) and a lot of iron w/ some iron bacteria. I have a Echowater system Model# 3370 w/ 64 lbs of resin that says I have 36,600 grains @ 12.0 lbs of salt. I bought the unit in 1991. I have rebuilt the head once and use Iron Out in the brine tank every time I add salt. I am now questioning if I need another system or should I just change the head to on-demand and if so, what would fit and be your recomendation. Could you tell me what you think, should I change to a better system or just change the head. The resin is original. The system does ok with hardness for the most part but kind of lacks in the iron removal. Any suggestions??
You may not be able to fit any type control valve on the tank other than Ecowater. It depends on if the tank has industry standard 2.5" dia x 8 threads per inch hle or uses clamps to attach the control valve but... by the time you buy a new control and you should replace the resin, you'll spend 2/3rds of what a new softener bought online would cost including delivery.
Look and see how your control valve mates with the resin tank and go from there. If you have a cabinet model, that's with the resin tank in the salt tank, any brand of new control may not fit the cabinetry.
Thanks for the input, I have just found out that the model has been discontinued and no parts are available. As far as the tank goes, it is a screw in style and has the option of being in a cabinet or stand alone. I was also told this is a 30,000 grain unit and it is about 4 feet tall and 10 inches wide. Any further suggestions???
Your EcoWater dealer may have a direct replacement upgrade valve available. Give them a call.
If you do that, you may be surprised by the price.
I suggest you look at a correctly sized softener using a Clack WS-1 control valve and install it yourself or hire a plumber to do it. You'll save hundreds to in some cases up to $6000 but usually $1000-$2000.
Tame, boys... very tame... what happened to the conflagrations of not too long ago?
Goddang it, you can't even come into a water softening thread anymore without being bored to tears.
@H2O MAN,
H20 Man,
I have been reading your info on the forum. We are currently looking to purchase a new water softener and wanted to know what you think about the Fleck 9100 sxt twin series over the 2510 se ? We do not know the hardness or Iron content in our water yet but we will find out before we make a purchase. Any suggestions as to where to purchase, live in Idaho.
Thanks
Bob
@Hunter208,
Hunter208 wrote:
H20 Man,
I have been reading your info on the forum. We are currently looking to purchase a new water softener and wanted to know what you think about the Fleck 9100 sxt twin series over the 2510 se ? We do not know the hardness or Iron content in our water yet but we will find out before we make a purchase. Any suggestions as to where to purchase, live in Idaho.
Thanks
Bob
Bob,
This new SXT Controller is available on the 2510. Post your H2O test results here when you can.
The SXT electronics platform surpasses anything Clack can offer.
Also, I'm not a big fan of twin systems except for some commercial applications.
@H2O MAN,
If I've read the SXT spec sheet correctly, it does not surpass or equal the Clack WS-1. The SXT has some of the features of the Clack WS-1 but not all of them, and it is much harder to program than the Clack WS-1. I don't know for sure but I suspect that if needed, the SXT timer will be more expensive to replace than the circuit board on the Clack.
The Fleck valves still have the same internal parts because the SXT is only the timer part.
Hunter, why a twin tank type softener, don't you have an hour and a half during the night like once every 7-9 days for a regular softener to regenerate?
@Gary Slusser,
The electronics on the Fleck are more robust than those used on the Clack.
If you ever need to replace it, the better quality Fleck circuit board may in fact cost a little more than the rather cheap Clack timer.
@H2O MAN,
Really. And have you actually seen a Clack WS-1 circuit board? They look very robust. When a Fleck SE timer fails, do you replace the circuit board? You do on a Clack WS-1 because
there is no timer on a Clack WS-1, Fleck has the separate electronic timer; SE or SXT.
All Fleck parts are more expensive than the equivalent Clack WS-1 part. And there are many more parts on a Fleck control valve than on the Clack WS-1.
